No, first, let’s continue to call out Albert Mohler. Up until the convention itself, Mohler continued to sidestep the issue. Read the transcript in that last link. Count how many times Mohler mentions his colleague Patterson by name. Tell me what he says about his pal CJ Mahaney and the abuse at Sovereign Grace Ministries. Tell me his position on the importance of consent or believing accusers. Instead, he plays the old “we’re so poorly organized” card. σκύβαλον. If the SBC is organized enough to forcibly remove congregations that ordain women, then they are organized enough to take seriously accusations of sexual abuse, harassment, and assault. Mohler, the man who has made his career by demanding liberals submit to a fundamentalist ethic on sexual activity, who has slammed LGBTQ-affirming Christians for not confronting “the reality of their sin” is now suddenly struck dumb. Al, take Stephen Colbert’s advice and confront the reality that “accountability is meaningless unless it’s for everybody.”

Jesuit publication America Magazine asks an important question: when the victims of such heinous acts are priests, pastors, and seminarians, why are they hesitant to speak out? Fear. The powers that be are slow to listen, slower to act, and quick to anger. The powers that be value the system over the people.

Take note of that America article: even leaders in Christ’s Church are hesitant to speak out. If an ordained priest is hesitant to accuse their mentor for fear of rocking the boat, how much more courage must it take for a woman in a denomination that discounts her voice?

The abuse crisis is not new; it’s finally coming to light. It’s not going away; abusers will be revealed for years to come.

And it’s not isolated. We cannot so naïve as to believe it won’t hit us. Even with the safeguards and the boundary training that the mainline denominations require, this will show up in our pews.

So, dear clergy and lay leaders, listen. It’s only by listening and hearing God’s children cry that we can ever hope to address the sin of sexual abuse.